‘Viking Link’ back before planners ahead of appeal

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Published:15:34Updated:15:58Tuesday 04 September 2018

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East Lindsey District Council’s planning committee’s controversial decision to refuse planning permission for a major electricity network between Denmark and Lincolnshire will be brought back before them this week ahead of an appeal that will take place in November.

At the planning committee’s next meeting on Thursday (September 6), councillors will determine the approach that ELDC will take to the forthcoming planning appeal, which will be dealt with by a government-appointed inspector in Manby over four days, from November 6.

The committee’s original decision to refuse the application will remain in place.

Councillors voted by a margin of eight to four against the Viking Link scheme at a meeting back in May, citing the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the impact on farming as key reasons.

The scheme involves a proposed 473-mile long electricity interconnector between the substation Revsing in southern Jutland, Denmark and the Bicker Fen near Boston. Electricity would pass through cables under the North Sea, arriving on the coast in Sandilands.

National Grid Viking Link said the scheme would reduce the cost of electricity and provide low carbon energy for one million households.

This week, planning committee members will be asked whether they wish to withdraw the ‘impact on farming’ as a reason for refusal ahead of the appeal, or whether they do not wish to contest any of the grounds for refusal and ‘leave the case to be contested by any interested third parties’.

Both of these recommendations centre on the risk of costs being brought against ELDC if the applicant’s appeal is successful.